Gus Pietsch, the director of mechanical specialty design and part owner of Hydroscience Technologies, of Texas, US, is the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s (ITA) 2009 Titanium Applications Development Award, in recognition of his achievements for designing and utilizing titanium in subsea components for the geophysical seismic industry. The ITA, based in Broomfield, Colorado, will present Pietsch with a USD 20,000 check at this year’s TITANIUM 2009 conference, which will be held September 2009 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The award recognizes and rewards people who contribute new ideas for titanium applications. Mr Pietsch has spent the majority of his career utilizing titanium in his designs, which are now considered industry standards.